1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bracket assembly for displaying retail items and, more particularly, to a bracket assembly that allows newer merchandise to be positioned behind older merchandise and, most particularly, to a bracket assembly that prevents merchandise from slipping off the bracket when restocking the bracket with newer merchandise.
2. Background Information
Retail establishments frequently employ linear, cylindrical brackets extending in a horizontal orientation from a vertical surface for displaying merchandise for consumers. The merchandise may include a hook or tab with an aperture that slips over the end of the cylindrical bracket such that a number of merchandise items hang vertically from a single bracket. The vertical surface often contains a number of locations from which the brackets can extend. Thus, the brackets can be arranged on the vertical surface to accommodate merchandise items of varied dimensions. Often, a pair of brackets is employed in close proximity to each other. A first bracket holds the merchandise items and the second bracket, located directly above the first bracket, includes a small sign at the end opposite the vertical surface, the sign indicating the price of the merchandise item. The consumers need only grasp one or more merchandise items and pull the attached tab off of the end of the linear, cylindrical bracket for purchase.
It is common practice for merchants to “rotate their stock,” such that older items are closer to the end of the first bracket opposite the vertical surface, so that the older items are sold before newer items. This is particularly important where the merchandise item is perishable, such as a food item with limited shelf life. The brackets that are presently available attach to the vertical surface by mechanisms that result in the attachment end of the bracket being greatly enlarged. Thus, older merchandise items must be removed from the bracket end opposite the vertical surface, newer merchandise items place on the bracket, and then the older items replaced on the bracket. This involves much time and trouble when restocking such brackets. Some examples of bracket inventions for which patents have been granted include the following.
Lucietto et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,954, describe a bracket for attachment to an apertured panel. The bracket includes a main body portion defining a vertical opening for receiving the bent-over end of an article supporting rod. A channel at the top of the bracket receives the shank of the rod. The channel is defined in part by opposed arms which are spread apart as the shank is forced into the channel, wherein the rod will be firmly held. The bracket may include a locking member carried by passages formed in the body portion of the bracket. The locking member is reciprocally movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. In the locked position, it bears against the apertured panel to firmly maintain the bracket in place.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,730, Thalenfeld discloses a self-locking merchandise hook for mounting on perforated panel board, preventing accidental dislodgement of the hook from its mounted position. The merchandise hook is a single piece molding of all plastic material, including integral plastic hook and base portions, as well as integral mounting lugs. In other forms, the hook may comprise more than one part. In all forms, a self-locking feature is provided in the form of an upwardly extending, flexible resilient tongue, which overlies the front face of a perforated panel board, on which the merchandise hook is mounted. In order to mount or dismount the merchandise hook, the locking tongue must be resiliently deflected by the application of at least modest external force. Although intentional mounting and dismounting require no additional action or manipulation, unintentional dislodgement is virtually eliminated.
Barnes, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,360, describes a hanger assembly that includes a U-shaped hanger and a separate bracket for mounting the hanger on a perforated panel. The bracket is formed so as to enable the hanger to be quickly and easily attached to and detached from the bracket. It is possible to add merchandise to the rear of other hanging merchandise by slipping the new merchandise over the opposite end of the U-shaped hanger and moving it to the opposite end thereof.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,602, Swanson discloses a display fixture with a removable arm, which allows the user to quickly and easily replenish the fixture with display items in such a manner that the newly loaded display items are positioned at the rear of the display fixture. The display fixture preferably includes a U-shaped base which is attached to an upright display support structure using any convenient means. The display fixture is also provided with an arm structure compatible with the desired display merchandise, with the arm being removable from the display fixture such that display merchandise can be replenished by loading the rear connection end of the arm. The U-shaped base is apertured, removably receiving the rear end of the arm structure, in a cantilever fashion.
Thalenfeld et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,683, describe a merchandise display hook assembly that provides high density display of carded merchandise and the like on apertured panel board display structures. The device includes a base member engageable with and supported by the apertured panel, and an adapter member which is slidably mounted on the base member for limited lateral sliding movement over a distance approximating a substantial portion of the center-to-center distance between apertures in the panel board. A merchandise display hook element is removably seated on the adapter member to carry the merchandise. The laterally adjustable adapter member enables the hook to be adjusted laterally within the mounting area for the assembly as necessary to achieve high density utilization of the display area and without interference between adjacently displayed merchandise to avoid unnecessarily wide spacing between adjacent articles.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,940, Trestyn discloses a bracket adapted to be secured to a perforated wall. The bracket includes a first member extending generally in a first direction, a second pivotal member disposed on the first member and having an L-shaped section having two legs. The pivotal member has two positions; in a first position, the first of the two legs arranged farthest from the pivotal member are disposed generally horizontally for insertion into a perforation of the wall; and in a second position, the first of the two legs are disposed generally vertically after the first leg has been inserted into a perforation in the wall, for securing the first member to the wall by the influence of gravity, whereby the first member extends outwardly from the wall in the first direction.
Nyman, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,345, describes a pair of non-prescription eyeglasses mounted on a cantilevered support by a hanger that includes an element constructed of relatively stiff, resilient plastic material. Such elements include a relatively wide main section, having an aperture which receives the support arm and a relatively narrow extension. The latter pass through the nose gap of the eyeglasses and is reversely bent to form a loop that surrounds the eyeglass frame bridge. In a first embodiment of this invention a rivet maintains the loop closed and prevents casual removal of the hanger from the eyeglasses. In a second embodiment a snap-type device holds the loop closed. This snap-type closure cannot be opened casually, at least for the first opening thereof.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,344, Baron describes a panel fixture adapted to be inserted into a cavity formed in a panel, the panel fixture releasably receiving an accessory. The panel fixture can be mounted within a routed cavity in a panel or wall such that its faceplate can be substantially flush with the panel surface or wall surface to provide a convenient, randomly selected location for supporting an accessory, such as a hook bracket or a shelf support bracket. The mounting of the panel fixture into the cavity simultaneously holds the panel against a wall structure. The faceplate has a slot located in an upper portion of the fixture. An accessory bracket to be inserted in the fixture may have a stepped upper plate part and a planar lower plate part and is mountable in/on the fixture, with the stepped upper plate part of the accessory bracket inserted and confined in the slot of the fixture faceplate, and with the planar plate part of the accessory bracket fitting flat against the recessed planar surface of the body of the fixture. A separate cover closure plate is provided, whereby when an accessory is not received in the panel fixture, the cover closure plate is fitted into the panel fixture.
Morrow, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,436 describes a product display system to inhibit theft and shoplifting. A product package has an orifice formed therein with a tab extending down through the center top portion of the orifice. The orifice has a lower portion connecting to two side portions. The side portions are configured to extend over a product support member. The product support member has a pair of rods extending substantially parallel with a connecting member at an extended end. The connecting portion of the orifice fits over the connecting member and can pass beyond the connecting member so that the tab extends downward between the rods. Therefore, the package cannot be pulled directly off the end of the support member as the tab engages the cross member. The support member also includes an apparatus for preventing the support member from being pulled from pegboard or other mounting surfaces. The support member includes a second member to prevent the support member from being pivoted to be removed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,911, Nyman discloses an eyeglass display system that utilizes a combination of an eyeglass display member and an eyeglass contacting member. The eyeglass contacting member has an encircling portion adapted to encircle at least a part of the frame of the eyeglasses, and does not interfere with a potential user's view through the lenses when the eyeglasses are tried on. A cantilever support extending from the eyeglass display member supports a plurality of eyeglass contacting members and associated eyeglasses.
Kallemeyn, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,415, describes a tool holder for use in a wall panel that includes a circularly cylindrical anchor bar, having a length greater than the width of a slot of the panel and not greater than the minimum length of the slot. A circularly cylindrical connector bar has the anchor bar extending beyond opposite sides of the connector bar. A base is rigidly connected to the other end of the connector bar and extends on opposite sides thereof and spaced from the anchor bar by a spacing S not less than the panel thickness. The base extends in at least two intersecting directions on opposite sides of the connector at the spacing S from the anchor bar for contacting the panel at locations spaced about the connector bar and stabilizing the holder against tipping in any direction relative to the wall panel when the connector bar protrudes the slot with the anchor bar extending on opposite sides of the slot. The base includes opposite leg portions of a U-shaped arm that are rigidly connected from medial locations thereon to opposite sides of the connector bar. The leg portions are coplanar at the spacing S from the anchor bar, a portion of the arm projecting from the base for supporting an article thereon. The arm, the base, the anchor bar and the connector bar are formed of a wire material having a single uniform circular cross-sectional diameter that is not greater than the width of the slot.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,417, Valiulis et al. disclose a wire loop hook for displaying merchandise that includes a rounded nose which supports a label holder in a downwardly and forwardly inclined position. The top surface of the holder faces upwardly and forwardly and serves as a mounting surface for a merchandise identification label. In one embodiment, the nose of the loop hook itself is inclined downwardly and forwardly to enable use of a label holder of extremely simple construction. In another version, the loop hook is of conventional design with a generally horizontally extending nose, while the label holder includes angled mounting and label holding portions to enable the holder to be attached to the generally horizontal nose with the label holding portion inclined downwardly and forwardly from the nose.
Nowicki, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,860, describes a stocking rod for assisting in the stocking of peggable packages onto support pegs for display and sale, the rod holding a number of packages. The rod has a tip portion that can be stabilized against the support peg. When the tip portion of the rod is stabilized, the packages can be slid from the rod onto the peg for display. The rod can be straight or provided with an angled tip portion so that it can easily be aligned with a variety of peg configurations.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,436, Kump discloses a heavy duty display hook, which supports point of purchase items or packages, and is insertable into a rectangular aperture of a panel, such as a cardboard panel provided with a number of spaced apertures for display hooks. The display hook includes a front plate which is substantially vertically disposed in use and which has an upper end and a lower end and an elongated support member which projects forwardly from and extends upwardly in slightly inclined fashion to the front plate. A pair of arms extends rearwardly from the front plate. A slot is disposed between the pair of arms. The arms have a first section, which extends through the slot in the panel. A second section of the arms extends upwardly from the first section. The second sections are spaced from and are generally parallel to the front plate. A wing may extend away from each of the second sections.
Simons et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,984, describe a peg retaining device for preventing the pegs from falling out of the holes in the pegboard. The peg retaining device includes a retainer having a generally planar back side and also having a top, a bottom, and a front side. The device is adapted to mount over a portion of at least one peg on a pegboard for securely retaining the at least one peg to the pegboard. The device includes fastening members being disposed through the retainer and being adapted to securely and removably engage in holes of the pegboard.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,656, Botkin et al. disclose an assembly for supporting a cantilevered bracket and an assembly for supporting an object. The assemblies include a mounting structure, having a first surface and an opposite surface and defining an opening there between. A relief is defined at a distance from the first surface and surrounding a portion of the opening. An engagement member has a body that is engageable within the opening, a retaining flange projecting from the first end of the body and shaped to be received within the relief, and a retaining member disposed on the opposite end and having a bearing surface. A cantilevered support member projects from the retaining member.
Applicant has devised a bracket system that overcomes the problem of restocking a bracket with newer merchandise items so that older merchandise items are closer to the end of the bracket opposite the vertical surface, whereby the older merchandise items are sold before the newer merchandise items.